LANSING, Mich. — Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield's chief of staff told state investigators the Republican lawmaker's travels featured trips with lobbyists, the use of a private jet, a yacht rental in Miami, gambling, poolside cabanas and bottle service.

Court records, reviewed by The Detroit News on Tuesday, revealed some of the information that Anne and Rob Minard, two of Chatfield's top aides in the Legislature, provided Attorney General Dana Nessel's office as part of plea deals with prosecutors last year.

Rob Minard, who was Chatfield's chief of staff, told Nessel's team that Chatfield used a private jet to travel to a golf resort in South Carolina in November 2020, that he would "pocket" campaign contributions that came in the form of cash and that he would orchestrate "extravagant partying."

"Minard told us that Lee Chatfield always had to stay in the most expensive hotels and eat at the most expensive restaurants," an attorney general report said of an October 2025 meeting with Rob Minard.

The son of a pastor, Chatfield of Levering served in the Michigan House from 2015 through 2020 and was once viewed as a rising star in GOP politics.

He is now facing 13 felony charges, including allegations he embezzled political funds. The charges were first announced in 2024. He has pleaded not guilty.

Mary Chartier, Lee Chatfield's lawyer, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. But she previously suggested Anne Minard made claims "only to avoid a lengthy prison sentence."

Nessel's office filed a motion and brief in May that detailed some of the new statements the Minards had made and that could be introduced at Chatfield's trial, which is set to begin Sept. 21. The motion will be discussed at a hearing Wednesday in Ingham County.

In November, Rob Minard of Bath Township pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return and one count of using false pretenses to obtain at least $20,000. In October, his wife, Anne Minard, who worked in Chatfield's House office and as a fundraiser for him, pleaded guilty to similar counts.

Both Minards agreed to testify against Chatfield as part of their plea deals.

Poolside cabanas

On Oct. 30, Rob Minard met with members of Nessel's team, telling investigators that Chatfield went to Las Vegas twice, Miami and the Bahamas in 2018, the year before he became speaker of the House, according to a report by a state investigator.

In 2019, his first year as the House speaker, Chatfield went to Jacksonville, Miami and Chicago, Rob Minard said. And in 2020, his final year as speaker, Chatfield went to Miami three times, South Carolina and Aspen, Rob Minard said.

Among those who traveled with Chatfield on at least one trip, according to Rob Minard, were lobbyist Gary Owen of the firm Governmental Consultant Services Inc., lobbyist Frank Foster of the firm Public Affairs Associates, then-Reps. Jim Lilly and Brandt Iden and Chatfield's brothers.

Rob Minard told state investigators about "extravagant rentals of poolside cabanas" and bottle service, according to the report.

A yacht was rented as part of a November 2020 trip to Miami, and a private jet was used for a November 2020 trip to South Carolina, Rob Minard told investigators.

Multiple sentences of the descriptions of Chatfield's travels were redacted. The documents didn't detail how the excursions were funded.

As Michigan's House speaker, Chatfield made about $96,000 a year.

Rob Minard told investigators that Lee Chatfield and his wife, Stephanie, would "pocket" money from campaign donors that came to their house in the form of cash, according to the report.

"Rob told us Lee and Stephanie would take thousands of dollars in cash from donors," the report said.

Lee Chatfield would also speak at churches in northern Michigan and keep "love offerings" from the congregations, Rob Minard claimed.

Chatfield was first elected to the Michigan House in 2014 after ousting Foster from office in a Republican primary.

Park passes to Disney?

On Oct. 7, Anne Minard met with members of Nessel's team. She confirmed past reporting from The Detroit News that Chatfield used a nonprofit fundraising account named the Peninsula Fund to rent an apartment in Lansing.

"Mrs. Minard told us that Lee Chatfield would sublet the apartment out to three different people," the attorney general's report said. "Anne stated that Lee Chatfield would receive rent from these subleases and would keep the money."

Anne Minard also said Chatfield, a father of five children, "rarely ever went home," according to the court filing.

"He hated going home," the court filing added.

"Ms. Minard reported that rather than go home, Mr. Chatfield would make excuses to go on trips at the last minute," the Attorney General's office wrote. "This suggests that Mr. Chatfield committed many more than the four charged instances (of) embezzlement by a public official."

Anne Minard also said that a lobbyist from the firm Public Affairs Associates paid for park passes to Disney World for the Chatfield family, according to the attorney general report.

In a text message Tuesday, Bill Wortz, managing partner at Public Affairs Associates, said he had no idea what Anne Minard was talking about.

In June, Stephanie Chatfield pleaded guilty to a single felony count of embezzling less than $1,000 from a nonprofit organization.

The state launched an investigation into Lee Chatfield after his sister-in-law, Rebekah Chatfield, alleged to police in late 2021 that she had been sexually abused by the former speaker for years.

In January 2022, Lee Chatfield denied claims he sexually abused his sister-in-law but admitted to a years-long extramarital affair with his brother's wife. The attorney general, ultimately, did not charge Lee Chatfield in relation to the allegations from his sister-in-law but instead pursued several financial charges against the former House speaker.

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